28 August 2017

How To Find Clients As A Freelancer

One of the topics which comes up in the mind of anyone thinking of starting their own business is 'How do I find clients?' - and keep clients coming back for more. It's also a question I get asked all the time by you entrepreneurs wanting to start their own business. In less than a year I worked with 9 clients on 37 projects, and have been able to sustain my business as well as my financial needs. I'm literally a step away from hitting my annual target, and I have two months to reach this goal so it's all go at Dalry Rose Hampshire HQ right now!

So how do you find, win, and keep clients as a freelancer? Here are 6 tips which really helped me kickstart my business and I swear by these methods!

1. Start a blog. Dalry Rose blog was what helped me go freelance and gave me the ability to quit my 9-5 office job, and I'm so grateful for all the opportunities my blog has been able to give me. From starting a blog (previously FashionFake) as a hobby, it has grown into my website and portfolio - which is exactly why you need to start a blog. Your blog will showcase your work and position you as an expert in your field of work - the beauty of a blog is that it's your own space on the internet and you can show/say whatever you want on it. But remember - your blog is a professional portfolio when you run your own business - you need to think of it like a CV!

2. Attend local networking events. You'll meet the businesses around you, get a chance to talk to people about what you do and introduce them to your services, and put your name on the map. Don't be discouraged if nothing comes from the first networking event you go to - I spent nearly every evening for two months around Hampshire networking events to introduce myself and my business, and met some lovely clients through these events.

3. Tell everyone what you're doing. Your family, friends, twitter, Facebook, Instagram - you never know who may be looking for services which you are offering! Post your services on local Facebook pages. You need to shout about what you're doing, and get people talking - especially in the local community.4. Go the extra mile. Go and meet people to talk to them face to face. Tailor your proposals to suit exactly what their business needs. Go through the proposal with them to ensure all questions are answered. When you're working for yourself, you can really focus and build relationships with businesses and help them understand why they should go with you, and not another freelancer/agency.

5. Be responsive. One paint point I have learned from working with businesses this year is that if you take 10 days to reply to their email, and a month to complete a task which could be done in a day, you're not likely to get their business. Yes, of course there are times at which we can't come to emails like personal reasons, but this is where you need to be clear with your clients and let them know you're not ignoring them.

6. Be really great at what you do. Be so incredible that your clients can't leave you, businesses want a meeting with you, and your results at the month really show why your clients employed you in the first place. Because when you produce incredible work, have a positive attitude, and are really approachable then brands will have no reason not to work with you!

These are a few quick tips to get you started if you're looking into going freelance - they sure helped me when I made the decision to start my own digital and social media management business! As always, feel free to ping me any questions whether it's in the comments below, on my email, or on social!